BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's foreign affairs office said Thursday that a diplomat was briefly detained by Belarusian authorities early in the week and it has lodged a strong diplomatic protest for what it claims was the second such incident.

EU spokesman Peter Stano said the bloc's charge d'affaires was detained for more than 2 hours after attending the public reading of a verdict on the detention of political prisoners.

“This illegal detention of our diplomat is a serious breach” of international diplomatic rules, Stano said.

He said the Belarus diplomatic representation in Brussels had been summoned to explain the incident.